Department for Communities and Local Government

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government what, when they use it, is their definition of "sleeping rough".

lord bourne of aberystwyth: For the purposes of the Department's annual rough sleeping estimates, the definition is as follows: People sleeping, about to bed down (sitting on/in or standing next to their bedding) or actually bedded down in the open air (such as on the streets, in tents, doorways, parks, bus shelters or encampments). People in buildings or other places not designed for habitation (such as stairwells, barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations, or “bashes” which are makeshift shelters, often comprised of cardboard boxes). Nobody should ever have to sleep rough. We have already allocated £30 million of funding specifically to support rough sleepers, including people at risk of sleeping rough, new rough sleepers and those with the most complex needs - our ambition is to halve rough sleeping by 2022, eliminating it by 2027.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government which London borough has the highest number ofpeople sleeping rough; what is their estimate of that number; and what was the corresponding number in 2010.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Nobody should ever have to sleep rough. We have already allocated £30 million of funding specifically to support rough sleepers, including people at risk of sleeping rough, new rough sleepers and those with the most complex needs - our ambition is to halve rough sleeping by 2022, eliminating it by 2027.DCLG publishes regular statistics on rough sleeping. This is available by local authority (the latest figures are attached) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2016 



Rough Sleeping Statistics - autumn 2016
(PDF Document, 696.43 KB)

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of faulty new-build homes being sold in England; and whether they intend to discuss that issue further with the housebuilding industry.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government makes no estimate of faulty new build homes. In our Housing White paper we set out our ambition for a housing market that works for everyone. We expect all housing developers to deliver good quality housing, deliver it on time and to treat house buyers fairly, resolving any problems quickly. All new homes are also subject to supervision by Building Control – local authorities and approved inspectors. DCLG Minsters will continue to raise the issue of quality regularly when they meet with the industry.

*No heading*

lord pearson of rannoch: Her Majesty's Government whether it is part of their Islamist anti-terrorist strategy to encourage all sermons in mosques to be delivered in English.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: It is not part of our counter-terrorism or counter-extremism strategies to encourage all sermons in Mosques to be delivered in English. This is a matter for Mosques not Government.Communicating in English helps all places of worship to be open and accessible.

*No heading*

baroness deech: Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the finding by the Equality and Human Rights Commission review published on 3 April, Being disabled in Britain: ajourney less equal,that fewer than 17 per cent of English councils with a housing plan have set out strategies to build disabled-friendly homes.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that councils should plan for a mix of housing, based on the needs of different groups in the community, including disabled people. All new homes must have minimum levels of accessibility and local authorities are able to require higher levels of accessibility where it is properly justified, taking account of local need and viability. Through the Housing White Paper we set out proposals to reinforce these expectations, and have introduced a new statutory duty on the Secretary of State to produce guidance for local planning authorities on how their development documents should meet the housing needs of older and disabled people.

*No heading*

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the extent of brownfield land in England, and (2) the number of homes that could be constructed on that land.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Up-to-date information on brownfield land is not currently available. Legislation to require local authorities to publish registers of brownfield land suitable for housing by 31st December 2017 came into force on 16 April 2017.

*No heading*

baroness afshar: Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to government departments, local authorities and other public bodies and agencies to avoid referring to British citizens by their creed, race or colour other than in contexts in which it is strictly necessary to do so.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has issued no such guidance and has no plans to do so.

*No heading*

lord pearson of rannoch: Her Majesty's Government whether they differentiate between (1) those who criticise a religion, and (2) those who insult its adherents, in their guidance, policies and other literature on hate speech; and if so, how.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: A crime that is motivated by hostility on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity can be classed as a hate crime. Our hate crime laws recognise everyone's right to believe and practice their chosen religion, free from targeted abuse. This same right extends to those who have no religion and those targeted for intra-religious hostility.The guidance to the application of our laws is covered in the Hate Crime Operational Guidance (attached) issued by the College of Policing in 2014 (http://report-it.org.uk/files/hate_crime_operational_guidance.pdf) which guides the police on the application of our laws.The Director of Public Prosecutions has issued advice to prosecutors which is available at http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/racist_and_religious_crime



Hate Crime guidance
(PDF Document, 1.37 MB)

*No heading*

lord kennedy of southwark: Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in thedrafting ofthe regulations underPart 5of the Housing and Planning Act 2016for electrical safety checks in private rented sector accommodation; and when they expect those regulations to be laid before Parliament.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Following Royal Assent of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, a Working Group of relevant experts was established to provide recommendations to ministers on what, if any, legislative requirements for electrical safety in the private rented sector should be introduced. The Working Group’s report and recommendations will now be considered by the new Housing Minister.

*No heading*

lord kennedy of southwark: Her Majesty's Government how many meetings with Electrical Safety First and other stakeholders have taken place to develop the regulations for electrical safety checks in the private rented sector since the Housing and Planning Act 2016 was granted Royal Assent.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Following Royal Assent of the Housing and Planning Act 2016, a Working Group of relevant experts, including Electrical Safety First, was established to provide recommendations to ministers on what, if any, legislative requirements for electrical safety in the private rented sector should be introduced. The Working Group met four times in, August, October, November and December 2016.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the need for high quality, high density housing in England and Wales.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The White Paper, Fixing our Broken Housing Market, sets out the case for lasting reform that will deliver more homes. This includes the need for new housing to be well designed and make good use of land. Responses to the White Paper are being assessed. Housing in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Social Services

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the aerial bombing of the Heiban locality in the South Khordofan and Blue Nile regions on 1 May, what assessment they have made of whether the government of Sudan is now in breach of international humanitarian law.

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government whether they will implement the provisions in the Care Act 2014 to cap individual liability for adult social care costs on or before April 2020.

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government whether they still intend to produce consultation proposals for the reform of social care by the end of 2017.

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government whether they will implement the provisions in the Care Act 2014 to cap individual liability for adult social care costs on or before April 2020.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. We are committed to listening to people’s views on how to reform the social care system, to ensure it is sustainable for current and future generations and that the quality of care improves. As part of the overall package of reform, we will consult on detailed proposals which will include a capital floor and an absolute limit on the amount people can be asked to pay. We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course.

Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy for enabling Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo to become members of as many European institutions as possible, with the minimum of delay and the maximum of co-operation.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to proceed with a consultation on the future operation and deployment of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland following the two elections held in Northern Ireland this year.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to proceed with a consultation on the future operation and deployment of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland successfully administered two unscheduled elections during 2017. The Electoral Commission’s research with voters and campaigners found high levels of confidence that the Northern Ireland Assembly election held on 2 March 2017 was well-run.The progress on the consultation on the future delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland was unavoidably delayed owing to the need for the Electoral Office to focus on delivering the elections that have been held since the consultation closed in January, as well as the purdah periods which have also accompanied those elections. The Government and the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will continue to reflect upon the most appropriate point to issue a joint response to the consultation.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel and to the Palestinian Authority (PA) regarding the reduction of the PA's monthly payments to Israel for the supply of electricity to Gaza

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv and our Consul-General to Jerusalem have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian Authority (PA) respectively over this issue. The Minister for the Middle East raised the situation in Gaza with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and the Israeli Ambassador to London on 22 and 23 June respectively.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Egypt regarding the closure, since January 2015, of the Rafah Border Crossing

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned about the closure of the Rafah Crossing and the impact this has on urgent medical and other priority cases in Gaza. We encourage Egypt to show maximum flexibility on opening the crossing.We have frequent discussions with the Government of Israel about the need to ease restrictions on Gaza. Easing restrictions would alleviate the suffering of ordinary Palestinians, advance construction and allow the Gazan economy to grow. A durable agreement is necessary to safeguard Egypt and Israel's security; this would include Hamas and other militant groups permanently ending rocket fire and other attacks.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make representations to the government of Israel regarding demands to carry out the army demolition order issued against the school at Khan al Akhmar

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have raised strong concerns about demolitions in Khan al Ahmar with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 7 April. We understand that the Israeli High Court will be holding a hearing on this proposed demolition on 25 September alongside a petition calling for the demolition of the 46 other structures in the Bedouin community.​

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the government of Israel regarding ending the blockade of Gaza

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem frequently urge the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take steps to improve conditions in Gaza. We welcome the steps that Israel has taken to ease some restrictions. However, we want to see Israel go much further, and we are continuing to call on Israel to do so to help the Gazan economy to grow. The Minister for the Middle East discussed the situation in Gaza with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and the Israeli Ambassador to London on 22 and 23 June respectively.

*No heading*

baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the lack of building permits provided to, and building restrictions placed on, Palestinians in Areas B and C of the West Bank.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: As the Palestinian Authority, not the Government of Israel, is responsible for planning in Area B, we have not raised this issue with Israeli authorities regarding this Area. However, we continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.

*No heading*

lord alton of liverpool: Her Majesty's Government whether they have pursued allegations by Amnesty international that chemical weapons have been used against the civilian population in Darfur; and whether they intend to raise this at the UN Security Council.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The allegations made by Amnesty International last year were reported to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at the time. I refer to the response by the former Minister for the Commonwealth and UN to HL 6160 (3 April). Without further evidence we see no basis on which to raise this at the UN Security Council at this time. We discuss the situation in Darfur on a regular basis in the Security Council, and continue to raise our concerns about the conflict and humanitarian situation in Darfur with the Government of Sudan.

*No heading*

lord alton of liverpool: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 3 February (HL4923), whether they have taken steps to establish whether the Korea National Insurance Corporation is a lawful organisation; and what assessment they have made of whether funds generated by the Corporation have aided the government of North Korea in the development of its nuclear weapons programme.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Korea National Insurance Company (KNIC) is a designated entity under EU sanctions on North Korea and, as such, is subject to an asset freeze. Existing UN and EU sanctions against the DPRK are based on UN Security Council Resolutions that prohibit the development of the DPRK's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Both EU and UN sanctions target goods and activities that support those programmes, and individuals and organisations who have acted in breach of these Resolutions.We believe these sanctions have played a role in slowing down the progress of the DPRK's nuclear and missile programmes. The UK has complied with all provisions of the EU designation of KNIC.

*No heading*

lord clement-jones: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Dubai to ensure the prompt release of Ryan Cornelius from prison.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Dubai has sought clarity from the Government of Dubai as to why Ryan Cornelius remains in detention. We will continue to raise his case with the authorities.

*No heading*

the lord bishop of coventry: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding the death sentence handed down by Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Court on 10 June to Taimoor Raza, a Shi'a Muslim, for allegedly committing blasphemy on Facebook.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. We have repeatedly called upon the Government of Pakistan to end capital punishment and, at a minimum, commit publicly to renewing the previously imposed moratorium on the death penalty. We regularly raise our concerns about freedom of expression and the misuse of the blasphemy laws with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.The Foreign Secretary raised religious tolerance and misuse of the blasphemy laws during his visit to Pakistan in November 2016. Mr Sharma, in his previous role as Minister for Asia, discussed the death penalty and the importance we attach to freedom of expression with Kamran Michael, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights, during his visit to Pakistan in January 2017.The Government will continue to urge Pakistan to honour, promote and protect its human rights obligations, including those related to the death penalty and freedom of expression and religion.

*No heading*

the lord bishop of coventry: Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Eritrea regarding the ongoing detention of the Eritrean Orthodox Patriarch Abune Antonios.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government remains concerned about the human rights record of the Government of Eritrea. We have raised these concerns consistently, most recently during the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 16 June 2017. One of the issues highlighted was that of arbitrary detentions in Eritrea. On 26 June 2017 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a tweet specifically calling attention to the detention of Patriarch Abune Antonios.

*No heading*

lord steel of aikwood: Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to take steps to retain Taiwan's place at future assemblies of the World Health Organisation.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government was disappointed that Taiwan was not permitted to observe the World Health Assembly this year. We will continue to make the UK position clear ie, that we support Taiwanese participation in international organisations where there is precedent for involvement, where Taiwan can contribute to the global good, and where there is no pre-requisite of nationhood for participation. Given the global reach and often rapid spread of global health emergencies it is of particular importance that all relevant administrations be invited to engage in the World Health Assembly to ensure that discussions on Global Health Security can benefit from their experience and expertise.

*No heading*

lord alton of liverpool: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that North Korea was behind the recent cyber attack on NHS computer systems.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The National Cyber Security Centre and National Crime Agency are investigating the recent cyber attack that affected NHS networks, as well as many others around the world. A range of leads are being pursued as part of the ongoing investigations.To effectively tackle cyber threats, the Government launched the National Cyber Security Strategy in November 2016. Supported by £1.9 billion of transformational investment, the strategy sets out ambitious policies and capabilities to protect the UK in cyber space.

*No heading*

lord patten: Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the United Nations recommendation that biometric voter registration should be introduced in Zimbabwe.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Zimbabwe is introducing Biometric Voter Registration for the 2018 Presidential elections, with the support of UN Development Programme. Weaknesses in voter registration in Zimbabwe were a major cause of the grave concerns we expressed over the 2013 elections. We support the principle of Biometric Voter Registration as long as the process itself is transparent and designed to ensure that all voters, including young and urban voters, are able to register and subsequently vote freely without fear of violence or intimidation. Transparent storage and management of the data included on the register is crucial and the register must be made available to political parties in a timely way.

Department for International Development

*No heading*

the lord bishop of southwark: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the definition of vulnerability as used by UNHCR to identify those refugees in Jordan most in need of assistance.

lord bates: UNHCR uses a robust set of vulnerability criteria targeting disabilities, income, age, and missing family members. Multiple partners contribute data to UNHCR’s analytical system, which permits better targeting of aid.Following the World Humanitarian Summit, we and the international community have committed to improving needs assessments by increasing coordination and information sharing between donors and agencies.

*No heading*

the lord bishop of southwark: Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Iraqi and Syrian refugees in Jordan that belong to religious minorities are included in their assistance planning.

lord bates: UK aid is distributed on the basis of need, to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, or ethnicity. We are mindful of the challenges faced by religious minority refugees across the region and continue to prioritise reaching the most vulnerable, irrespective of whether they are from religious minority groups.

*No heading*

lord hylton: Her Majesty's Government how they expect the EU Refugee Facility for Turkey 2016–17, which helpsrefugees and internally displaced persons,will be spent; and what proportion of those funds will be allocated to education and training.

lord bates: The European Union Facility for Refugees in Turkey helps build schools, provide health services and makes social welfare payments for the most vulnerable refugees, and provides vital municipal infrastructure such as waste management and water treatment facilities to alleviate pressure on Turkish communities hosting refugees.As of May 2017, 42% of the facility has been spent on education. Almost half a million Syrian refugee children have access to education and 20,000 Syrian volunteer teachers have received training in improved teaching techniques.

*No heading*

viscount waverley: Her Majesty's Government whether they would support future regionalisation of the Pillars of the Cotonou Agreement.

lord bates: The UK government has supported calls for a differentiated and more regionalised approach during EU discussions on the successor to the Cotonou agreement. While the future agreement will come into force after our exit from the EU, we remain interested in what will be a major element of the global development architecture and will continue to participate in the discussions while we remain an EU Member State.

Department for Education

*No heading*

lord ouseley: Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so by how much, teacher training targets for secondary schools have been missed for each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any failure to reach those targets on children's education.

lord nash: Published statistics are available that show Initial Teacher Training recruitment in each of the last five years against the targets as set by the Teacher Supply Model. The latest information is contained in the following table.Postgraduate ITT new entrants and training places time series by target SecondarySecondary targetPercentage of Secondary target2012/1314,29313,817103%2013/1413,05013,34098%2014/1512,97113,86694%2015/16r15,18318,54182%2016/17p15,71317,68789%  Source: NCTL Initial Teacher Training CensusNotes1) Coverage: Postgraduate ITT new entrants in England.2) Figures for 2016/17 are provisional and are subject to change. Figures for 2015/16 have been revised.3) Data were extracted on 1 November 2016.4) Teach First data is included from 2015/16, therefore caution should be exercised when comparing figures across time.5) 2016/17 total includes forecast registrations.6) Targets are taken from the Teacher Supply Model: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model.7) In 2011/12 to 2014/15 figures from the TSM are estimated by removing undergraduate trainees. These figures are published in table 1b in the statistical first release ‘Initial teacher training: trainee number census - 2016 to 2017’.Teaching continues to be an attractive career choice among graduates and secondary postgraduate recruitment is at its highest level since 2011/12. This is a great achievement, given the increasingly competitive graduate market.Schools recruit teachers in a variety of different ways including Newly Qualified teachers, those returning to teaching, and those who have previously taught outside the state-funded schools sector.

Ministry of Justice

*No heading*

baroness meacher: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the Burials and Cremations (Scotland) Act 2016 as a possible basis for reform of the law of England and Wales.

lord keen of elie: The Scottish legislative framework, among a range of other evidence, is being taken into account in developing burial and cremation policy in England and Wales.

Department for Work and Pensions

*No heading*

lord ouseley: Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to simplify the benefits regime to reduce the extent of the form filling and assessment burdens on benefits recipients.

baroness buscombe: The DWP is currently implementing Universal Credit. This flagship welfare reform policy simplifies the benefits regime for working-age people. It replaces 6 former benefits administered by DWP, HMRC and Local Authorities, with 1 single application process to DWP. Universal Credit also makes extensive use of digital services to reduce the extent of form filling for benefit recipients, who can interact with the Department using an online account. The introduction of the New State Pension on 6 April 2016 also provided a simpler and more straightforward benefit for pension-age customers. This is less open to misunderstanding and dispute. State Pension claims are supported by an, increasingly popular, online claims service alongside a well established telephony channel. These two channels account for the vast majority of claims and have significantly reduced form filling. DWP is currently testing a new claims portal for State Pension to further improve the citizen experience.

Home Office

Elections: Northern Ireland

lord judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to publish guidance on the handling of family reunion cases under the Dublin III Regulations including clarifying responsibilities, procedures for unaccompanied children in Calais prior to any transfer, and ensuring that local authorities have sufficient funding and capacity to conduct assessments.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for voter intimidation posed by the presence of party workers at the entrance to polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations about the presence of party workers standing in the environs of polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to bringing forward legislation to prevent party workers distributing election materialfrom standing immediately outside access point to polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for voter intimidation posed by the presence of party workers at the entrance to polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations about the presence of party workers standing in the environs of polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has not received any recent representations on the issue of party workers outside polling stations. However, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will conduct a routine post-election review of all administrative procedures and the Electoral Commission will also report on the administration of the election in due course. The Government will consider any recommendations arising from the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission carefully.

Northern Ireland Office

*No heading*

lord maginnis of drumglass: Her Majesty's Government how many proxy vote applications there were in each Northern Ireland constituency for the general elections in (1) 2010, (2) 2015, and (3) 2017; and whether they intend to investigate possible electoral fraud in relation to proxy voting in Northern Ireland.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The administration of proxy voting is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland. All evidence received by the Chief Electoral Officer regarding possible electoral fraud is passed to the PSNI for investigation. The following table has been provided by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland and contains the number of proxy vote applications in each constituency in Northern Ireland for the Parliamentary general elections in 2010, 2015 and 2017: Constituency 201020152017Belfast East36124279Belfast North91177739Belfast South47114318Belfast West1151681026East Antrim51137353East Londonderry62143360Fermanagh & South Tyrone47014541707Foyle1593391282Lagan Valley4787230Mid Ulster2134881127Newry & Armagh1018701304North Antrim71224507North Down6385193South Antrim58106285South Down130203564Strangford4173197Upper Bann65135322West Tyrone289505914Total2109543211707

*No heading*

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland following the two elections held in Northern Ireland this year.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland following the two elections held in Northern Ireland this year.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to proceed with a consultation on the future operation and deployment of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to proceed with a consultation on the future operation and deployment of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland successfully administered two unscheduled elections during 2017. The Electoral Commission’s research with voters and campaigners found high levels of confidence that the Northern Ireland Assembly election held on 2 March 2017 was well-run.The progress on the consultation on the future delivery of electoral services in Northern Ireland was unavoidably delayed owing to the need for the Electoral Office to focus on delivering the elections that have been held since the consultation closed in January, as well as the purdah periods which have also accompanied those elections. The Government and the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will continue to reflect upon the most appropriate point to issue a joint response to the consultation.

*No heading*

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to bringing forward legislation to prevent party workers distributing election materialfrom standing immediately outside access point to polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to bringing forward legislation to prevent party workers distributing election materialfrom standing immediately outside access point to polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for voter intimidation posed by the presence of party workers at the entrance to polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations about the presence of party workers standing in the environs of polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for voter intimidation posed by the presence of party workers at the entrance to polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations about the presence of party workers standing in the environs of polling stations in Northern Ireland.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has not received any recent representations on the issue of party workers outside polling stations. However, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland will conduct a routine post-election review of all administrative procedures and the Electoral Commission will also report on the administration of the election in due course. The Government will consider any recommendations arising from the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission carefully.

*No heading*

lord empey: Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent of the rise in the number of proxy votes being applied for in recent elections in Northern Ireland; and what action they are taking to ensure fraud is detected and avoided.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The administration of proxy voting is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland who will conduct a routine post-election review of all administrative procedures. The Electoral Commission will also report on the administration of the election in due course. The Government will consider any recommendations about dealing with fraud from the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission carefully.

Department of Health

*No heading*

lord birt: Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 3 February (HL4841), what was the average number of days that GP surgeries were open in the period 27–30 December 2016.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested is not held centrally. Core hours for general practices are defined in the General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services regulations, The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2016, SI 2016 No.875. Core hours are 8am – 6:30pm Monday to Friday, except Good Friday, Christmas Day and bank holidays. The 2015-16 GP Patient Survey showed that 74.6% of patients reported that their general practitioner surgery was open at convenient times and that 75.9% were satisfied with the hours that their surgery opened.

*No heading*

baroness lawrence of clarendon: Her Majesty's Government when they intend to bring forward proposals for a consultation on social care.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course. The Government is committed to listening to people’s views on how to reform the social care system, to ensure it is sustainable for current and future generations and that the quality of care improves.

*No heading*

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government when they intend to introduce legislation to reform professional healthcare regulation as proposed by the Law Commission in their report Regulation of Health and Social Care Professionals published in April 2014.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is considering options on how to take forward the reform and rationalisation of professional regulation.

*No heading*

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government whether they still intend to produce consultation proposals for the reform of social care by the end of 2017.

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government whether they still intend to produce consultation proposals for the reform of social care by the end of 2017.

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government whether they will implement the provisions in the Care Act 2014 to cap individual liability for adult social care costs on or before April 2020.

lord warner: Her Majesty's Government whether they will implement the provisions in the Care Act 2014 to cap individual liability for adult social care costs on or before April 2020.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. We are committed to listening to people’s views on how to reform the social care system, to ensure it is sustainable for current and future generations and that the quality of care improves. As part of the overall package of reform, we will consult on detailed proposals which will include a capital floor and an absolute limit on the amount people can be asked to pay. We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course.

*No heading*

the countess of mar: Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the significant increase in the number of cases of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) reported as an adverse reaction to HPV vaccination since July 2015, they will ask the European Medicines Agency to review the safety signal.

lord o'shaughnessy: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded a thorough review of reports of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) following human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in November 2015, which found that the evidence did not support a causal association between HPV vaccination and POTS. As of 26 June 2017, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 60 reports of POTS following HPV vaccine via the Yellow Card Scheme. More than three million girls have been vaccinated against HPV since 2008 across the United Kingdom, and the MHRA’s evaluation remains that the number of reports does not exceed what would be expected to occur in the absence of HPV vaccine and that the evidence does not suggest a causal association with the vaccine. The MHRA does not currently propose to ask the EMA to conduct a further review. As with the safety of all vaccines and medicines, this issue will remain under review.